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What’s important to the CMO in 2026
Executive insights
Three key trends influencing today’s marketing strategy
CMOs making bold moves in a market that won’t wait
Chief marketing officers are at the center of enterprise reinvention as AI transforms business at unprecedented speed and consumer behavior evolves in real time. The familiar marketing funnel has lost relevance as people consume in all new ways. In this reality, standing still isn’t an option. Unlocking value means acting decisively, leveraging the right marketing technology, and rethinking how brands build customer loyalty and grow in a constantly shifting market.
In the spotlight
Marketing that matters more
Leading marketers share a different mindset, finds research from PwC and ANA. They’re using AI to elevate marketing’s role in growth—turning efficiency into effectiveness, data into decisions, and creativity into measurable enterprise value. It shows that when AI is used strategically, marketing doesn’t just cost less. It drives more.
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Leading marketers deliver {79% greater total shareholder value} than their peers
Source: PwC and ANA joint research
Where to focus in 2026
Artificial intelligence
Move quickly with data and AI-powered marketing
Today’s marketers aren’t short on data—they’re short on the clarity or control to use it. In PwC’s May 2025 Pulse Survey, CMOs named unclear ownership and limited access to data and tools as the top barrier to delivering their strategy. And the cost of delay is real: 63% of CMOs say they’re missing opportunities because they can’t make decisions fast enough. In a market that rewards speed, hesitation can cost growth.
AI depends on clean, real-time, responsibly used data to deliver value—and AI-human teams can accelerate everything from planning and content to analytics and operations. It’s a collaborative effort. AI provides speed and scale, while humans ensure accuracy and apply the creative lens that drives impact. The challenge is often less about technology and more about adoption—overcoming skepticism, shifting rigid ways of working, and building confidence in AI outputs. The CMOs who succeed embed AI into daily decisions, redesign roles and workflows, and unlock marketing that’s more adaptive, accountable and aligned to the business.
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Strategy and growth
Connect marketing to business growth
The lines across the C-suite are blurring—and that’s your opening. As a CMO, you have the chance to lead as an innovator, strategist, and growth driver. And the good news? You’re not going it alone: 92% of CMOs say they have support from their C-suite colleagues to make bold bets. It’s not just about spotting growth opportunities. It’s about building the agility to seize them—fast. That means moving into untapped markets, sparking brand creativity, delivering competitive insights, and helping shape new ecosystems as industries converge and business models reinvent themselves.
Collaboration is critical. Partner with product development to shape what’s next. With sales and service to adapt in real time to customer expectations. And with your CFO to define marketing’s impact and demonstrate marketing ROI. What sets CMOs apart is their ability to bring a creative perspective to the business—a differentiator that drives innovation, strengthens brand relevance, and anchors marketing’s role in revenue growth. When you connect across functions—and across industries—you create consistent outcomes that drive lasting business value.
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{Nearly all (92%)} CMOs say they have support from their C-suite colleagues to make bold bets
Source: PwC Pulse Survey, May 2025
Customer experience
Create experiences that keep customers coming back
Your customers aren’t loyal because of price or product alone. They’re loyal—and remain that way—because of the experience you deliver. PwC’s 2025 Customer Experience Survey reveals a stark reality. While 89% of executives think their customers have become more loyal over the past few years, only 39% of consumers say they’re more loyal to brands they regularly use. That extensive gap has ripple effects—lost revenue, underperforming loyalty programs, and a brand reputation at risk.
Loyalty today begins long before the first purchase. It’s seeded in reviews, recommendations, and digital discovery—and then tested at every touchpoint. Price and quality may get you in the game, but a personalized customer experience, seamless journeys, and emotional connection decide whether customers keep coming back.
AI-human teams help marketers design these moments with more precision and agility, but it only works if data is used responsibly and privacy is respected. The CMOs who succeed put meaningful experiences at the center—creating the relevance and trust that keep customers with them.
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